Is Dominion Virginia Power REALLY serving our interests as Virginians?

As Virginia’s largest electric utility Dominion Virginia Power does provide us with electricity, but at what cost?
Dominion Virginia Power’s current Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) — its plan to meet our electricity needs over the next 15 years — is NOT SUSTAINABLE.

Q: What is Dominion doing to address Climate Change?

A: Making it worse. Dominion Virginia Power’s 15 year plan calls for up to a 37% increase in its CO2 emissions.

Climate science tells us that we need to significantly reduce our CO2, carbon pollution. But Dominion Virginia Power’s 15 year plan calls for up to a 37% increase in its CO2 emissions.

The costs of climate change will be measured in the billions of dollars from sea level rise and severe storms, not including health care costs from air pollution associated with reliance on fossil fuels.

Q: What about Dominion’s Investments in Renewable Energy?

A: Dominion is doing very little to promote renewable energy. In 15 years, renewables will be just 2% of Dominion’s energy mix.

Why are Dominion’s CO2 emissions increasing dramatically (37%) when we all know that we must reduce our greenhouse gas emissions?

Worse yet, Dominion uses its monopoly position to BLOCK OTHERS from investing in wind and solar. As a result Virginia has no utility scale wind farms, and we lag far behind in solar energy development.

Q: What about energy efficiency?

Dominion has also failed to invest in energy efficiency–the cheapest, cleanest way to meet demand. Dominion will not come close to meeting the state’s voluntary goal of 10%.

Yet a 2013 report, Changing Course, commissioned by Wise Energy for Virginia, found customers would save on their energy bills if Dominion increased its efficiency investments.

Q: What can we do?

Tell Dominion its energy plan is NOT sustainable. The company must reduce its CO2-carbon pollution emissions, NOT increase them by 37%. Share your concerns with the State Corporation Commission in Dominion’s IRP case. Go to vasierraclub.org/TellDominionNO.

If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more great content just like it.